Following the capacity expansion completed in 2024, Çimsa has commissioned its new CAC investment in Mersin. With this new investment of $31.8 million, Çimsa’s CAC production capacity has tripled compared to its pre-2024 level, reaching 197,000 tonnes.
Çimsa, a Sabancı Group company that continues to invest in Türkiye with determination, has completed and commissioned its new calcium aluminate cement (CAC) production line in Mersin. The new line, developed with an investment of $31.8 million and boasting an annual production capacity of 66,000 tonnes, has increased Çimsa’s annual CAC clinker production capacity from 131,000 tonnes to 197,000 tonnes.
Already one of the world’s three largest CAC producers, Çimsa has further strengthened its global position with this development. Çimsa is also Türkiye’s only producer of CAC, which serves as a bridge in the transition from cement to building materials and represents one of the most significant examples of material transformation in the industry.
APPROXIMATELY $75 MILLION INVESTED IN TWO PRODUCTION FACILITIES
Successfully continuing its transformation into a globally operating building materials company, Çimsa increased its annual CAC production capacity from 65,000 tonnes to 131,000 tonnes through an investment completed in 2024. Immediately following this investment, a new decision was taken to further expand CAC capacity. With the latest investment, Çimsa has tripled its CAC capacity over the past two years. The total investment in these two facilities, which have also reinforced the Mersin plant’s position in the global building materials industry, has exceeded $75 million.
“WE CAN MEET 20% OF GLOBAL CONSUMPTION OUTSIDE CHINA”
Commenting on the development, Umut Zenar, Strategic Investments and Operations President at Sabancı Holding and Chairman of the Board of Çimsa, said: “As we emphasise at every opportunity, while increasing our global capabilities through investments across different geographies, we remain equally committed to investing in Türkiye. Just nine months after completing our first CAC capacity expansion investment in February 2024, we announced our decision to make another investment in this area. Today, with our CAC production capacity approaching 200,000 tonnes, we are able to meet approximately 20% of global consumption in markets outside China on our own. This investment is one of the critical steps we have taken towards Çimsa’s vision of becoming a global building materials company.”
“WE ACHIEVE A 15-FOLD INCREASE IN ADDED VALUE”
Emphasising that CAC is an extremely important product not only for Çimsa but also for the Turkish economy, Umut Zenar said: “CAC is one of the highest value-added products in our industry. By transforming our country’s natural resources into CAC products using advanced production technologies at our Mersin plant, we achieve an almost 15-fold increase in added value. This is a source of great pride for us. At the same time, this investment is entirely export-oriented. With the CAC investment, approximately 90% of the capacity in Mersin is exported to global markets. All of this is also a very clear indication of our contribution to our country’s value-added export drive.”
“CAC IS A HIGHLY VALUABLE PRODUCT FOR OUR ‘FROM GREY TO GREEN’ TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY”
Highlighting the importance of sustainability in Çimsa’s transformation into a “building materials company,” Umut Zenar said: “We approach sustainability from two perspectives. On the one hand, we improve our production technologies with a focus on sustainability; on the other, we enrich our portfolio with products that have lower carbon emissions. CAC is also a highly valuable product for our sustainability targets and our ‘from grey to green’ transformation strategy.”
WHERE IS CAC USED?
- Demonstrating Çimsa’s pioneering role in advanced material technologies, CAC’s most distinctive features are its resistance to high temperatures and its ability to gain strength very rapidly.
- CAC is widely used in technical mortars produced through the dry-mix method in the construction chemicals industry; in the construction of industrial furnaces operating at high temperatures; in metal-melting processes in foundries; in steel and iron production; in the manufacture of fire-resistant building materials; and in superstructure projects that require rapid strength development, such as motorway and airport runway repairs.
- CAC products are used by value-added industries primarily in Northern European countries, as well as in markets such as the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
